Article to alleviate hunger of the stomach



March 16, 1954 w. s. KROGER ARTICLE TO ALLEVIATE HUNGER OF THE STOMACH 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed May 22, 1952 INVENTOR. M44140! .5 Keaacfi BY March 16, 1954 w. s. KROGER ARTICLE TO ALLEVIATE HUNGER OF THE STOMACH 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed May 22, 1952 INVENTOR. Mum/v 5. Kama-e flrrozA/EX Patented Mar. 16, 1954 ARTICIJETTO AL'IJEVIIATE HUNGER OF THE STOMACH' William S Kroger, Evanston,1.IllL

Application May 2.2;1952, SerlallNb. 289,329..

where it-dsadesiredi to reduce .ori remove :fattyJ tis-.-

sues) Another.- methodi-isby the internaluse; ofs'soscalledst redueingdrugsior medicines. This. may: include 12119311188 of such drugs: as. methyla cellulose or methylcellulose preparations.

Its is: generally: agreed; that; methylcellulose.

preparations; ort'moderatelyilaxative bulkeforni era; are-.amon ithee fundamental-drugs in media cine: toqsuppresstha appetite; and. secure. weight. loss-inobeseindividuals;. Sufiicientevidencehas;

accumulated: to; show: that. methylcellulosa. even with; the; addition of: the.- amphetamines; is; not; theecompletesanswern In;v overweight individuals; increased; appetite: is aifundamental .nsychieaspectofz medicaliirmportance: Howeventhere iscan additionahmechanioalaspect, namely. bulhhungea.thatmust; be considered. Bmllnhunser resultssfrom one tractionszotzthe empty stomach and is controlled by the ingestion of any type of known nutritive: bulk materiali. Bnlkrhunger' is; satisfied by quantities, whereas appetite. is satisfied by quality of food. Appetite and the desire for the taste offood may be suppressed, yet a person remains hungry-for wantof food regardless of its appeal, becauseofan empty; stomach;

The-failurato secure-weight loss with methyl;

cellulose and the amphetamines alone may'not-- be-due to failure tcrcurb the-appetite but'fail ure to completely suppress the hunger contractions or peristaltic contractions of the stomach. The problem then, is to curb the appetite and suppress bulk hunger so that the decreased caloric intake is followed for a length of time.

For a more complete answer to the control of obesity, I have provided an appliance which will alleviate bulk hunger and abolish the peristaltic contractions of the stomach which produce hunger. From time immemorial, it has been known that if one tightens the belt, the empty or gnawing feeling of the stomach diminishes.

Since the hunger contractions of the stomach have a rhythmicity due to conditioning by three regular meals per day, an appliance worn during these periods will be of considerable aid in harmlessly giving the individual a feeling of fullness 22 in the=epigastriuzm Thusrminimal amounts-of" food will be sufiicient to allay thehungercon; tract-ions during an important periodr' It is a well knowniactthat 'overweightinpvei" 98% of'individuals-is due to theingestion of*toomuch food-andthat this craving forfoodisiusu allydue'to-an emotionaltensiona My experiencehas demonstrated thata combinationmfpsychm therapy designed to alleviatethis tension and. the wearing of this appliance tominimize bulk" hunger-has given far better-results thanthemseof psychotherapy alone -or-the use ormedicinal' agents suclrasmethylcellulose designed=to=alleviate bulk-hunger:

The principalobject'or my invention; then; is" to provide an article whichapplies pressureat the lower end of the-'sternumand adjacent"; thetop end of the stomach:

A'furtherobj ect ofthedirvention is to provide" a device of i 'the type described which" is capable" of being worrrby apersonandheld in its'proper position by' means of a belt* member fastened about the bodyof the person:

A further--object=of-'the invention is' 'toprovide an article of the type-described capable of'be ing worir=by-a-person-in aconcealedmanner; the article being adaptewto supply continuous re silient or yielding pressure in the region I of the Y lower end of the sternum.

A- further-object of the invention-is to provide in combination with a brassire or-"bra,-- a plate= like member fastened in the brassiere-toapply pressure over the'region to? the top-of the stomach.

Afurther-object of theinventionis to provide in combination with afoundation garment on girdle a plate-like member fastened'thereirr in such' a position that? it* is capable of applying yielding r pressureover theregion of the tap of the stomach.

Other objects and advantages will be more apparent from the following description wherein reference is had to the accompanying drawings, upon which Fig. 1 is a front perspective view of a person wearing the hunger alleviating article as shown attached to a belt or strap for fastening directly to the body of the wearer;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary front elevational view thereof showing the position in which it is worn;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional view thereof taken on the line 33 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view through the cup-shaped member taken on the line 4-4 of Fig. 2;

Fig. 5 is a front perspective view of a person wearing a combination foundation garment including a brassire and girdle, showing the manner in which the cup-shaped member is positioned in the garment;

Fig. 6 is a front perspective view of a person wearing a brassiere showing the manner in which the cup-shaped member is disposed in the brassiere; and

Fig. 7 is a cross-sectional view through the brassiere and cup-shaped member taken generally on the line 1-1 of Fig. 6.

In the embodiment of the invention which I have chosen to illustrate and describe the same, in Fig. 1 I have shown the cup-shaped member ID formed with a pair of side ear portions I2 and 14, each of which has a slot 16 to receive an end 18 of a strap or belt member 20 which may be fastened about the waist of the wearer, preferably so that the cup-shaped member will lie directly below the sternum, with the belt passing below the ribs of the wearer.

The cup-shaped member is preferably made of a flexible plastic material so that in use it will be comparatively comfortable, but effecting yielding pressure inwardly, the member having the somewhat oval-shaped cavity 22, having an arcuate peripheral upper edge 24 and a comparatively straight lower peripheral edge 26. I

provide a plurality of openings 28 throughout the surface of the cavity 22 for air circulation and to permit perspiration to evaporate.

As hereinbefore pointed out, when the appliance is fastened below the sternum and over the top end of the stomach, the pressure which is applied will be of considerable aid in giving the individual a feeling of fullness, with the result that smaller amounts of food will be sufficient to allay the hunger contractions of the stomach. Since the hunger contractions are periodic due to the habit of eating three regular meals a day, the appliance may be worn during the periods in which the hunger pains commence and for a period of time thereafter.

In Fig. 5 I have shown the cup-shaped member ID positioned in a foundation garment 30 at a point preferably medially below the breast cups 32 and 34 of the brassiere portion of the garment. The member It) may be held in position in any suitable or desirable way, but preferably by providing a pocket having an open upper end in the brassire portion of the garment at this point.

In Fig. 6 I have shown the cup-shaped member l0 positioned in a brassire at a point directly above the lower band 42 of the brassiere and disposed medially between and below the breast cups 44 and 46.

As shown in Fig. 7, I have provided an inner pocket 48 fastened in the inside of the brassiere into which the cup-shaped member may be placed. With this construction it can be seen that by fastening a pocket on the inside of a brassiere, the hunger alleviating device may be carried in the purse if desired, and when the hunger contractions of the stomach occur, the person may position the appliance in the brassiere and thus effectively overcome the same.

While in the drawings I have shown a shape which is generally preferred, it will of course be understood that the exact formation may be modified, depending upon the physical requirements of different persons, both as to size and other characteristics.

I contemplate that changes and modifications may be made in the exact details shown and I do not wish to be limited in any particular; rather what I desire to secure and protect by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination with a girdle of an object to alleviate hunger pains which comprises a cupshaped member adapted to be worn directly over the region of the top of the stomach, said member having an inwardly directed oval-shaped cavity to apply pressure inwardly when worn, said object being fastened in said girdle medially of and near the top of the same, said cup-shaped member having a curved top peripheral margin or edge extending downwardly and outwardly from a medial vertical axis and a generally horizontal lower marginal edge, said member being made of yieldable plastic material and having a plurality of openings therethrough in the surface of said cavity.

2. An article for alleviating hunger pains which comprises a semi-rigid cup-shaped member adapted to be worn directly over the region of the top of the stomach, said member having an inwardly dished wall to apply pressure inwardly when worn and a top peripheral margin extending generally downwardly and outwardly from a medial axis, the lower peripheral margin being generally horizontal, slots adjacent the side edges of said member and means engaging said slots for attaching the same on the body of the wearer, said inwardly dished wall having a plurality of openings throughout its surface.

WILLIAM S. KROGER.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,487,406 Somers Mar. 18, 1924 1,501,672 Lawton July 15, 1924 1,535,822 Goodwin Apr. 28, 1925 1,775,365 Jones Sept. 9, 1930 2,294,589 Waterbury Sept. 1, 1942 

